Rochester Hills drivers coping with multiple projects

Construction work continues near the intersection of Livernois and Tienken roads in Rochester Hills. The Road Commission for Oakland County is installing a roundabout at the intersection. Photo by Paul Kampe - Of The Oakland Press

Rochester Hills residents and those who work in the area have been dealing with two major road construction projects for much of the summer. And while the end’s not near, it’s starting to show itself in the distance.

“It’s been a challenging summer,” Mayor Bryan Barnett said. “Each day I wake up and we’re one day closer.”

Tienken and Avon roads, two of the city’s major east-west routes, are being repaired by the Road Commission for Oakland County at a cost of more than $11 million — at the same time.

The finish line is still nearly two months away in the case of the project to widen Tienken from Livernois Road to the Paint Creek Trail and add a roundabout at the Tienken-Livernois intersection.

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Two miles to the south, Avon Road is being resurfaced between Crooks and Adams roads.

The current project on Tienken is the first of two phases of work on the road. The road is expected to be repaired from Rochester Road to the Paint Creek Trail next spring.

Rochester Hills will be doing its own work repaving and widening Hamlin Road from Dequindre to the roundabout at Livernois in 2015, Barnett said.

Barnett expects the future work to have a better effect on traffic than the current situation facing city drivers because the parallel east-west roads are further apart than Tienken and Avon. As it is now, the current projects are creating heavy congestion on Walton Boulevard during peak traffic times.

“It’s a very popular road right now,” he said.

The timing of these projects, like others, depend on the availability of funds from the county, which may not be available at another time, Barnett said.

“You use it or lose it,” he said. “You have to make sure you’re leveraging monies (properly).”

Rather than postpone projects, continually improving the roads allows the city to stay ahead of the curve.

“Michigan winters are brutal,” he said. “The projects aren’t slowing. It’s easy to get in over your head quickly.”

This is the second consecutive summer Tienken has been under construction. The city has added temporary speed bumps, radar speed signs and additional detour signage to help motorists and homeowners alike during the projects.

There has been some relief however, as the Avon Road bridge over the Clinton River Trail has recently reopened. Barnett also expects a “huge kink” in city traffic to be reduced when the intersection of Crooks and Avon roads re-opens in mid-September.

During the work, residents have levied complaints with the city about motorists failing to follow detours and posted speeds in neighborhoods. Barnett expects residents’ frustration.

“It happens every year with every project,” he said.

Long-time city resident Terry Haynes, who lives off Auburn Road, used to drive Avon and Tienken roads frequently. She’s now driving through downtown Rochester to get around the construction. She said she’s taking more time to plan her routes to reduce time spent in her vehicle.

“I’m retired, so I’m glad I’m not in work mode,” she said.

Haynes’ friends live off Tienken Road and say their commutes are “horrible,” she said.

“It’s doubled their drive time,” Haynes added.

One reader, “Lance,” commented at TheOaklandPress.com: “Coping just fine. Lived here for 20-plus years so I know all the ways around.”

But reader “AAMAZED,” said: “Going to be fun when the school buses have to travel these roads and have to be routed around them too.”

Although Rochester Hills is congested, Haynes said the city does a good job maintaining the roads.

Oakland Township and Rochester-area drivers have also been impacted further by the repair of the Orion Road bridge over the Paint Creek Trail, which has closed Orion Road between Snell and Gallagher roads. It’s scheduled to re-open later this month.

Orion Road is also being resurfaced in two stretches. The first is between Flint Street in the Village of Lake Orion to Adams Road in Oakland Township, while the second is from Snell Road in Oakland Township to Rochester Road in Rochester Hills. The road is open during the project, but is reduced to one lane at times, according to the road commission, which expects the work to be completed by mid-November.

Road Commission for Oakland County spokesman Craig Bryson said a combination of factors contributed to the numerous projects falling in the same year. The Tienken project was delayed in part, he said, by difficulty securing right of way for the work and then purchasing and demolishing property.

There are also five Rochester Hills neighborhoods undergoing “substantial” concrete repair in projects being performed by the city’s Department of Public Service, Barnett said.

The city is spending more than $12 million for such local road projects from 2014-15 and has another $12.5 million earmarked to contribute to major road projects like Tienken, Barnett said.

About the Author

Paul Kampe covers the Rochester area for The Oakland Press. He has also worked as online coordinator, a page designer/copy editor and preps sports writer. Reach the author at paul.kampe@oakpress.com
or follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulKampe.